Buffalo-area man charged with felony dwi in Massena

FELONY DWI - MASSENA - A Buffalo-are man with 11 prior drinking and driving convictions was charged with a felony count of driving while intoxicated early Wednesday morning following a traffic stop on the Leslie Road.

Massena-based state police also charged Gilbert B. Murdoch, 38, of 465 74th St., Niagara Falls, with unlawful possession of marijuana and ticketed him for failure to keep right and illegally passing a steady red light.

Troopers said they stopped Murdochs vehicle after observing him drive through a steady red light before stopping in an intersection and then crossing the double solid center yellow line.

Court documents said Murdoch failed field sobriety tests and blew a 0.19 percent at the scene of the traffic stop. He refused to take the breathalyzer test when he was taken to the Massena state police station. They said Murdoch was also in possession of a baggie containing approximately 4 grams of marijuana.

Murdoch was previously been convicted of felony DWI on Jan. 30, 1997 and his last drinking and driving count was a snowmobiling while intoxicated conviction on Jan. 27 in Salamanca Town Court.

He was arraigned on the latest felony DWI charge by Massena Village Justice Eric J. Gustafson and sent to the St. Lawrence County Correctional Facility with bail set at $3,000 cash or $6,000 bond.

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